The Fishing Line: Diary of a Boat Owner

Having just been to the AC Boat Show, and enjoying all the incredible boats there, this is a good reminder before one signs on the dotted line.
Diary of a Boat Owner
We didn’t pay any attention to those who told us that the two happiest days of a boat owner’s life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Someone else told us, “A boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money.” This warning, too: “B.O.A.T., an acronym for Break Out Another Thousand.” We didn’t listen.
It’s not exactly clear to me when we decided to buy a boat. We certainly had talked about it for a while. How great it would be to be able to go out on the water anytime we wanted. How great it would be to entertain on the boat and to take our family and friends out fishing; to pull the kids on skis. How great it would be to spend any weekend we wanted on our floating vacation suite. What a great life it would be. So when the opportunity presented itself, there was no doubt, no hesitation. We became boat owners.
May 3
The Sea Ray Sundancer, “It’s Miller Time” arrived from Trenton Marina. She was launched at North Wildwood Marina. Too large for its reserved slip, it had to be moved to another one. Thank goodness one was available. Vince, the owner of the Marina, took us out for a quick ride. It’s really overwhelming knowing this is really our boat!
May 9
We sailed around to Urie’s today. The channel is poorly marked and very shallow. The Ray-Jeff scanner is a great help.
May 10
Too stormy to go out today; we’ll just do some chores.
May 16
Captain took us on a long cruise out to the Delaware Bay; about 18 miles. Finally, the dockside electricity is working. Strange motor hum in cabin. Must have this checked out.
May 23
Took friends out for a ride. Got semi-grounded in low water; not for long. Luckily the tide was turning. Back in slip, safe and sound. Nancy and her little girls loved the trip. It’s great owning a boat. We love every minute of it.
There was quite a learning curve once we took possession of the boat. I was sure we would be able to run it, dock it, clean it, maintain it. Easy! Reading charts, operating Loran, Coast Guard regulations, tide and wind implications, tying lines correctly. A whole new vocabulary had to be absorbed: port, starboard, aft, stem, stern, galley, head, fenders, knots, buoy, i-o engines, and more. We soon found out there was a lot more to this hobby than we realized.
June 13
Weather and graduations have kept us from enjoying the boat. Had dead batteries when we arrived but it didn’t take too long to recharge them. Waterways were quite crowded. We got a police warning today – now we know, no one may ride up front.
June 14
Good Morning! We spent our first night on the boat. It was great. Very little motion, water is quite calm. You can hear it lapping at the sides of the boat. Gulls woke us up.
June 15
Hank, one of our boat neighbors, helped us replace the fuse for the maserator pump and figured out why the step down pump isn’t working.
June 18
Going fishing today. I forgot to untie a line as we headed out of the slip. That’s a problem. Once out in the bay, we caught seven fish. This is the life. Until we got back. I had to scrub down the boat while the Captain cleaned the fish. We spend three hours working on the boat to ensure one hour out on the water.
August 13
Today we celebrated birthdays by going out to fish at Fishing Creek Shoal. A near-perfect day, except for the traffic. Low tide coming back in gave us trouble, but we made it.
August 30
Took a boatload of family and friends over to visit relatives at Urie’s Marina. Good thing Spike was able to fix the Ray-Jeff which went out on us as we traveled over there.
Owning a boat brings many challenges. All in all, we thought the work and effort was worth it. There is such a wonderful camaraderie among the boat owners. Everyone is willing to help and look out for one another. The water, the views, the friendships; it’s good.
Our second and third seasons brought much the same experiences. We focused on the positives and accepted that things would go wrong.
Fourth Season
May 24
IMT had a lot of prop damage at the end of last season. No clue as to how it happened. Weather is very rough and stormy but Captain and crew managed to get us tied up. Looking forward to a relaxing season. Maybe we’ll get the work down to a better schedule.
May 28
New canvas arrived today. It looks great, especially the windows. More expensive than we thought.
August 17
Seems like it’s been raining forever. Sure thought we’ll get out on the water more.
August 18
Got out front today to fish. No fish. Coming home we got grounded. Two hours later, free. Today, we actually talked about selling the boat.
September 2
Labor Day weekend. The agent came today to look at the boat. Yearly expenses (once we did an honest tally) are far above what we figured. It’s a great boat. What a decision. Are we doing the right thing?
Why are the kids so upset about selling the boat? The baseball games, traveling all-star softball teams, and work schedules kept us from many a family outing. They weren’t a bit happy when they realized the number of passengers on the boat was limited and that it was not going to be party central. Where were they when we were waxing and cleaning?
May 5, another year
Surprise! Here we are again. The boat never sold and so we put it back in the water. We’ll continue to look for a buyer. Maybe this season, we’ll have more good times than bad and we’ll change our minds.
We didn’t. By March of the following year, IMT was finally sold. We miss the experience but not all the work. Now when we want to go fishing, we go on a charter or a head boat. A great day; someone else’s problems. And we have discovered cruising, now that’s a trip! But truth be told, once we win the lottery, I think we’ll be boat owners again.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Head to the Ocean City Intermediate School for a Fishing Flea Market, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m., benefits the Fishing Club.
The Fishing Line runs year round so keep sending your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. Column and pictures are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com and on Facebook. Keep them coming.